Susan looked through the cash register as she closed up shop. It’s part of her procedure, but this time it was unnecessary. She didn’t need to count the cash in the register to know how much money she’d made today. $18.74. She remembers it clearly since only one customer walked through her door.
She leans back in the chair she keeps behind the counter until she’s facing the ceiling and sighs loudly. Excluding the hour break for lunch, her woodworking shop is open from 10 a.m. until 8 p.m., and yet she gets an average of six customers a day. Over the last week, she’s gotten a collective four.
“I can’t keep the shop open like this.” She says it to nobody in particular, but hearing it aloud finally makes her comes to terms with the reality of it. Her fancy carpentry degree from San Francisco and intricate wood carvings aren’t enough to keep customers coming in, and soon she won’t have enough money to pay the bills.
She hears a little knock at the store’s front door, and looking over to it notices an older woman standing outside. Technically the store is closed now, but Susan isn’t going to send away a customer while she’s still in the store. She quickly puts the cash register back in and runs to the front, preparing her best smile before unlocking the door for the old woman. “Hi, welcome to Morison Woodworks! What can I do for you?”
“Oh, hello. Sorry to bother you, but I was hopin’ I could find a way to help my grandson with his grades.”
Shit. “I’m sorry ma’am, but I don’t do runic carvings.”
The old woman pouts and waves her arm, quickly turning away and continuing on to the next store. She sure is determined. Susan locks the door back up and walks to her chair, pulling the cash register back out. She thought a storefront by the water would help attract customers, but most of the people who come are looking for something enchanted. She looks down at the near-empty cash register. “Maybe I need to change…”
That night, Susan left her home chasing rumors of a meetup den for rune-makers. She was going to learn the talent and save her business, whether they wanted to teach her or not. The shop is usually empty, so people who come in together can usually be heard talking to each other from anywhere else in the storefront. Two people covered with tattoos came in one day about two weeks prior, also looking for enchanted items. When they left, Susan heard them mention “The Parlour,” and after half an hour of wandering around town, she found it.
The Parlour was located in a back alley near the center of town. Walking in almost made Susan regret choosing to come here. Even just stepping in the door, the booming music and overwhelming scent of sweat and booze almost made her faint on the spot. The first thing she saw was the shining silver pole standing in the center of a circular stage, and that was all she needed to know she was in the wrong part of town. The walls were covered in posters that had runes drawn on them in blood, doing God knows what. She felt stares, and turned her attention to the bar. Standing behind it was a tall, rough-looking man. He was glaring at Susan, making her feel even more out of place. But her mind was made up.
She walked up to the bar, and the man behind it came to her. “You’re not a regular here, and this doesn’t look like your kind of place. What do you want here?”
“I need to learn rune-making. Figured this would be the fastest way to do it.”
Laughter bellows out from the man. “You need to learn how to make runes and you do it by coming to a strip joint?”
Blushing, Susan responds, “It needs to be fast, and I’m willing to do what I have to.”
“You sure you want to say those words to me here?”
Susan looks over at the silver pole and gulps. “I’m willing to do...some things, to learn.”
The man smiles and points at a closed-curtain booth in the corner of the room, handing Susan a wooden rod with a rune and number carved into the side. “Touch this rod to the curtain and step inside. You’ll find what you’re looking for inside. Make sure you close the curtain behind you.”
She takes the rod and thanks the man, walking to the booth. The curtain is closed, but it doesn’t seem like a curtain. It’s not moving, even with the slight breeze in the room. She tries to pull the curtain, but it doesn’t budge. Pushing it makes no apparent change either. Is this really a curtain? Susan looks at the rod, and points it out toward the curtain. A blue spark jumps out from the rod, and the curtain begins to flutter. She gently tries to pull it aside, and feels the silk move with her. She glances down at the rod in disbelief, then opens the curtain fully and steps inside.
Susan closes the curtain behind her, noticing a rune sewn into the silk. She turns, and almost screams at the sight. Sitting on the floor in front of her was a short, green-skinned goblin. What...why is one here?! It hasn’t seen her yet, as it’s too busy dismantling a computer. They’re both sitting on what looks to be a torn fishing net, likely how the goblin stole the computer. Susan takes a step back, and the wood beneath her foot creaks, alerting the goblin who quickly turns to face her.
“Wat?! Who are ya?!”
“Aaaah!” Susan held her hands up in defeat, succumbing to her panic.
“Ay, ay, don’t shout! Aym workin’ here!” He turns back to his mostly disassembled computer. “Aye came all da way thru da tunnels ta be intarupted?”
She crosses herself and backs up, pressing against the once again sturdy curtains. “I just wanted to learn runes…”
This peaks his interest, and he twists around again. “Oye, you wanna learn how ta make runes? Aye can ‘elp with dat!”
She takes a few deep breaths, calming herself and relaxing her tense body slightly. “You...can?”
The goblin laughs. “Of course aye can, we were da first ta find ‘em!”
She leans back in the chair she keeps behind the counter until she’s facing the ceiling and sighs loudly. Excluding the hour break for lunch, her woodworking shop is open from 10 a.m. until 8 p.m., and yet she gets an average of six customers a day. Over the last week, she’s gotten a collective four.
“I can’t keep the shop open like this.” She says it to nobody in particular, but hearing it aloud finally makes her comes to terms with the reality of it. Her fancy carpentry degree from San Francisco and intricate wood carvings aren’t enough to keep customers coming in, and soon she won’t have enough money to pay the bills.
She hears a little knock at the store’s front door, and looking over to it notices an older woman standing outside. Technically the store is closed now, but Susan isn’t going to send away a customer while she’s still in the store. She quickly puts the cash register back in and runs to the front, preparing her best smile before unlocking the door for the old woman. “Hi, welcome to Morison Woodworks! What can I do for you?”
“Oh, hello. Sorry to bother you, but I was hopin’ I could find a way to help my grandson with his grades.”
Shit. “I’m sorry ma’am, but I don’t do runic carvings.”
The old woman pouts and waves her arm, quickly turning away and continuing on to the next store. She sure is determined. Susan locks the door back up and walks to her chair, pulling the cash register back out. She thought a storefront by the water would help attract customers, but most of the people who come are looking for something enchanted. She looks down at the near-empty cash register. “Maybe I need to change…”
That night, Susan left her home chasing rumors of a meetup den for rune-makers. She was going to learn the talent and save her business, whether they wanted to teach her or not. The shop is usually empty, so people who come in together can usually be heard talking to each other from anywhere else in the storefront. Two people covered with tattoos came in one day about two weeks prior, also looking for enchanted items. When they left, Susan heard them mention “The Parlour,” and after half an hour of wandering around town, she found it.
The Parlour was located in a back alley near the center of town. Walking in almost made Susan regret choosing to come here. Even just stepping in the door, the booming music and overwhelming scent of sweat and booze almost made her faint on the spot. The first thing she saw was the shining silver pole standing in the center of a circular stage, and that was all she needed to know she was in the wrong part of town. The walls were covered in posters that had runes drawn on them in blood, doing God knows what. She felt stares, and turned her attention to the bar. Standing behind it was a tall, rough-looking man. He was glaring at Susan, making her feel even more out of place. But her mind was made up.
She walked up to the bar, and the man behind it came to her. “You’re not a regular here, and this doesn’t look like your kind of place. What do you want here?”
“I need to learn rune-making. Figured this would be the fastest way to do it.”
Laughter bellows out from the man. “You need to learn how to make runes and you do it by coming to a strip joint?”
Blushing, Susan responds, “It needs to be fast, and I’m willing to do what I have to.”
“You sure you want to say those words to me here?”
Susan looks over at the silver pole and gulps. “I’m willing to do...some things, to learn.”
The man smiles and points at a closed-curtain booth in the corner of the room, handing Susan a wooden rod with a rune and number carved into the side. “Touch this rod to the curtain and step inside. You’ll find what you’re looking for inside. Make sure you close the curtain behind you.”
She takes the rod and thanks the man, walking to the booth. The curtain is closed, but it doesn’t seem like a curtain. It’s not moving, even with the slight breeze in the room. She tries to pull the curtain, but it doesn’t budge. Pushing it makes no apparent change either. Is this really a curtain? Susan looks at the rod, and points it out toward the curtain. A blue spark jumps out from the rod, and the curtain begins to flutter. She gently tries to pull it aside, and feels the silk move with her. She glances down at the rod in disbelief, then opens the curtain fully and steps inside.
Susan closes the curtain behind her, noticing a rune sewn into the silk. She turns, and almost screams at the sight. Sitting on the floor in front of her was a short, green-skinned goblin. What...why is one here?! It hasn’t seen her yet, as it’s too busy dismantling a computer. They’re both sitting on what looks to be a torn fishing net, likely how the goblin stole the computer. Susan takes a step back, and the wood beneath her foot creaks, alerting the goblin who quickly turns to face her.
“Wat?! Who are ya?!”
“Aaaah!” Susan held her hands up in defeat, succumbing to her panic.
“Ay, ay, don’t shout! Aym workin’ here!” He turns back to his mostly disassembled computer. “Aye came all da way thru da tunnels ta be intarupted?”
She crosses herself and backs up, pressing against the once again sturdy curtains. “I just wanted to learn runes…”
This peaks his interest, and he twists around again. “Oye, you wanna learn how ta make runes? Aye can ‘elp with dat!”
She takes a few deep breaths, calming herself and relaxing her tense body slightly. “You...can?”
The goblin laughs. “Of course aye can, we were da first ta find ‘em!”